Throughout her life, Scarlett always listened intently to her father's evening tales of pirates. She never grew tired of hearing the repeated stories of brutal swordfights or the rumors of terrifying threats given to captives who never escaped alive. There was an air of mystery about pirates that always plagued her curiosity, and as a child, she obsessed over escaping to the fantasy world that she painted in her mind. As she grew older, though life and maturity decided to dominate the majority of Scarlett's mind, she often wished for adventure, to have the imagination of a child again.

One chilly and damp evening off England's foggy coast, George Hamilton huddled closely to the fire that crackled in the brick fireplace. He was accompanied by his youngest son, Joseph, to whom he was narrating another story. George was the loving, joyous type of father; the kind who would do anything for his children's happiness. He was often bringing home gifts or singing them to sleep as young children. And, of course, telling the new narratives he overheard while in the town.

"George, for the last time, please don't fill the childrens' heads with myths. How many have you been telling Joseph today?" Catherine's exasperated voice trailed from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner. This was a frequent complaint in the Hamilton household whenever she heard him telling one of his pirate tales, which she believed were unrealistic. Catherine was the type of mother who was apprehensive about certain things that snuck into the minds of her children, leading to wrong conclusions about things that were best to be avoided entirely. Living on a coastline often visited by pirates put his stories on the top of her list.

"These are not myths, Catherine; they are true," he replied defensively.

"That makes them all the worse!" she said.

Startling the family, the front door burst open, letting a mad rush of bitter air fly into the cottage. "Oh! Hurry, shut the door quickly!" Catherine exclaimed as she quickly ushered her children into the house they were struggling to keep warm. Scarlett and her eldest brother William had just arrived from closing up the shop.

George owned a bakery. It took many years to set up his little shop and support his family, but with hard work and endurance, he made it the successful family business. All the locals came regularly, either as customers or just to visit with the outgoing man that George was. William worked alongside his father every day, as he was heir of the business, while Scarlett gave a helping hand selling goods or delivering them personally to customers' homes. Her workload was no simple task, however. When she wasn't at the bakery, she helped Catherine keep the household in order, which included assisting Joseph with his schooling.

As George resumed his storytelling, now accompanied by William, Catherine pulled Scarlett aside. "I'm so glad you're home! I have so much work to do! Joseph is struggling with his schooling, your father's shirts need mending, the garden needs to be raked, and I've hardly started preparing dinner-"

"Mother, let me finish preparing dinner while you mend father's shirts. We can start with that," Scarlett reassured her stressing mother with a grin. Catherine agreed to the idea and departed immediately to fetch George's shirts. Scarlett turned her attention to the diminutive sitting room and paused to listen to the new story her father had to share. She recalled her mother's constant complaining about these tales creating romanticized views of pirates in her childrens' heads. Obviously, her father disregarded her disapproval and continued to entertain his children - and Scarlett appreciated that.

Shaken from her thoughts, Scarlett heard Catherine entering the room to join the family and start sewing, so she immediately turned to cook. She didn't want her mother to suspect that she still treasured her father's tales. Always apprehensive that her mother would ban them from the household, she hid any desire she had for them. Instead, Scarlett eavesdropped, deceiving her mother into thinking she had finally raised her daughter properly.

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The following morning, Scarlett awoke to see her bedroom window open, and assumed her mother had opened it for fresh air. She rose out of bed when she realized the breeze felt particularly crisp. She rushed to dress, slipping on her linen undergarments, then her stays, and finally her outer garment, which was a plain auburn wool dress.

After a brief breakfast, Scarlett wrapped her headscarf around her rich chestnut hair, her shawl around her shoulders, and kissed her mother and Joseph goodbye. She was leaving to assist her father and William at the bakery, where she would pick up any deliveries to be made.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her, shivering as the wind fiercely blew against her. Usually, the coastline was fairly windy and overcast, but today felt different, as if something wasn't right. However, Scarlett dismissed the ludicrous thought from her mind immediately.

Walking along the vivid green slope to the center of town, Scarlett observed the fog enveloping the sea and flowing smoothly across the ships at dock. It created an effect similar to the descriptive words of her father's tales: the spooky, haunted ships that hid in the thick fog, ready to attack their prey. She smiled at the exhilarating thought of it.

Scarlett wound through the industrious crowds of sellers and buyers at the marketplace, occasionally greeting those she knew. Everyone was busy that morning: sailors shouted to and from the ships stationed at the docks, and the market created a constant buzz of sound from competing sellers. Even the seagulls screeched obnoxiously in the sky with their hunger-driven eyes on the stinky fish carelessly piled on tables. Finally, she arrived at a tiny building called George's Bakery, where her father came out to greet her.

"Good morning, Scarlett!" he exclaimed, before taking in a deep breath of air and glancing around at the crowds. "Something feels different today," then switching his gaze back to her, "maybe it's new customers!" He hurried inside in his usual excited manner and began to rearrange the baked goods on display so that they would look perfect for hungry customers. Scarlett thought it strange what he said, but decided to leave the subject alone, distracted by the delicious aroma of freshly baked goods. The bakery was a small room with just enough space to fit all the baskets that were filled with numerous types of breads incredibly hard to resist.

"Good morning, Scarlett," William said, as he hugged his sister when she entered the room. Wasting no time, George brought out a heavy basket filled with breads and covered with a cloth.

"You'll be delivering this today," he announced as he gave her the heavy basket. "And I have the directions somewhere here," he paused as he searched his apron pockets. "Ah, here it is!" He handed her the piece of slightly yellowed paper, which listed several types of breads. The exact directions of where to find the ship at the dock were scribbled on it as well.

"Did they already pay you for these goods, or shall I bring it back with me?" she asked her father.

"No, I didn't see any payment with the note, so I assumed they'd pay you when you arrived there," he replied.

After biding them farewell, Scarlett quickly glanced at the directions once more and made her way through the crowds, stepping onto the dock near the first ship.

"Hello, Scarlett," a voice calmly called out. She turned around to see a tall, handsome man clad in a deep blue frock coat, beige pants, and knee-high boots.

"Hello, Commander," she replied with a smile, though she was putting on a front. Commander Hughes frequented the coast of Scarlett's home with his ship, and the two often saw each other at the marketplace. For some time, he had shown interest in Scarlett, and always stopped her to talk. Though Scarlett was flattered by such attention from such a high-ranking Royal Navy officer, she wasn't amused by his ego and opted to stay out of his reach.

"Care to go dancing tonight?" he said. "The town is having a little dance, and being that our ship is here for the night, I wanted to invite you. All the townsfolk are attending." By now, he had stepped closer to her, as if pressuring her to accept.

On a regular day, Scarlett would have refused. But lately, she had heard her parents talking about a suitor, how Scarlett was getting older, and no one seemed to be in her interest. Maybe this could be good for her and her family, and maybe the Commander was a nice person. There was only one way to find out. "I accept your invitation, Commander," she replied.

His face brightened, with a glimmer in his eyes that said he had won her over. Not quite, Scarlett thought. "I'll see you tonight then?" he asked with a smile. "You'll be sure not to work too hard?"

She returned a grin. "I'll try my best. Good day, Commander." They turned their separate ways, and Scarlett focused her attention back on the ship she was supposed to find. She had passed all the easily recognizable ships closest to the market, but further along, they became fewer being far away from the marketplace.

However, there was one unfamiliar ship that caught Scarlett's eyes. She studied it from afar, as much as the thick fog would allow her. The huge vessel was a plain walnut color, with its masts raised high and its flax sails withdrawn.

As she approached, however, she did not see a single human being in sight. Although it seemed odd, Scarlett advanced closer and called out. She hesitated to step onto the ship without anyone around. Something didn't feel right to her. After no reply, though, she went against her instincts and stepped onto the plank that led to the ship. It wouldn't take too long anyway, and soon she would be off the ship safe and sound. She sat her basket down next to a pile of roughly wound-up rope and looked about for anybody to receive the bread and pay her for it. Then, she would be out of there.

"Well, look what we've got here!" Scarlett spun around to lay her eyes upon an unfamiliar pirate. His clothes were badly stained with dirt and sweat, his skin was brown from the sun, and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed for days. Surrounding him were a few others, who were just as dirty as he was. "Let us have a look at your pretty little face." He ripped the headscarf off Scarlett's head, exposing her hair around her shoulders. The crowd cheered in support of his actions, which only increased as more pirates came to see what the commotion was about.

Faster than she could react, two pirates grabbed her by both arms, and held her there with unbearably tight grips. Next, the first pirate who had spoken to her ripped off her shawl and threw it into the crowd.

"Wait, please!" Scarlett shouted but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried to free herself from their grip or plead with them, they had no mercy.

By now, the crowd of hungry pirates had become riotous. Scarlett continued to struggle, but they paid no attention. Suddenly, however, the crowd was instantly overcome by a dead silence. Not a single sound could be heard, besides the splash of the water lapping against the ships and the dock. Frozen in place, Scarlett looked up to see what had happened. The crowd split in half, and she finally saw why they had stopped so quickly. She couldn't believe her eyes.

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It is so exciting to post my first chapter! Please let me know what you think in the comments, vote if you like, but most of all enjoy! I appreciate every little bit! :)

10/29/22 - minor grammatical edits made.